During each episode of “Big Food Truck Tip,” which premiered Sept. 19, Zimmern travels to a different U.S. city in search of food truck entrepreneurs chasing the American dream. In each location, three operators share their dishes and stories. Zimmern then gives one deserving culinary dreamer a $10,000 tip to help take that business to the next level.

The reaction when the food truck owner learns of the prize ranges from “stunned and shocked” to “breaking down in tears, unable to gather themselves,” Zimmern said during a recent telephone interview with The Salt Lake Tribune.

While food quality is important, Zimmern said he is looking at "who the owners are and what I think they can contribute to the community.”

(Photo courtesy of Food Network) Host Andrew Zimmern chats with owner Juan Pablo Watcherdorff, 32, after sampling a prosciutto and a margherita pizza from the Nella food truck during the filming of Big Food Truck Tip.

How did Utah’s capital measure up?

“It has a very vibrant food truck scene and represents a nice, broad swath of cultures,” he said. “It’s becoming a legitimate food town.”

Zimmern, who operated food trucks in Minneapolis and Miami for several years, knows that profit margins are low and “most food truck operators are literally operating on fumes,” often just a day away from shutting down if the refrigerator breaks or the stove has to be replaced.

Receiving a $10,000 tip “literally can change the future of someone’s business,” he said. “And it’s a blast to give someone something that is going to change their lives.”